


Anniversaries

by FantasyBard



Category: Doctor Strange (2016)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Mentions of Stephen Strange/Christine Palmer, Stephen still has a lot to learn, That's what Wong is there for
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-29
Updated: 2016-12-29
Packaged: 2018-09-13 02:13:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9101809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FantasyBard/pseuds/FantasyBard
Summary: A short time after Kaecilius is defeated, Wong takes some "personal time" off. Upon his return, Stephen is somewhat astonished to learn just what that personal time consisted of. It turns out that there is a lot more to the librarian than meets the eye, and what he has to say just might help Stephen as he seeks to balance his life a sorcerer and his own personal desires.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Anybody else wish that there were more stories where Wong and Stephen interacted? Well, here is my remedy for that shortage. Also hopefully the first in a series of one-shots centered around some Doctor Strange world building. 
> 
> This is my first attempt at a Doctor Strange story, and while I hope that I am getting the voices and thoughts of the characters right, please excuse some parts that might be a little rough. In the meantime, I hope that you find some enjoyment in this story.

Anniversaries:  
Wong had a reputation of being an incredibly intimidating master. His reserved silence and stern expression would have perhaps been enough to confirm this fact. But Wong also had the rather unsettling gift of delivering a perfect threat. He never raised his voice, he never screamed or yelled in order to get his point across. A few words or phrases uttered in his calm, utterly serious voice was all that was needed to make the most confidant of people feel as though Wong could very easily turn their bodies inside out if they tried to cross him. 

Of course, Wong was aware of the reputation that he had. It wasn't his job to make people feel at ease. He was not going to help the delusion that some people had when they came to Kamar-Taj that the mystic arts were something which could be easily learned. In a way, he was almost there to separate the wheat from the chafe. 

“One hour with Wong will be enough for some students to know if they can endure a lifetime.” the Ancient One had often said in reference to Wong, partly in seriousness, partly in humor. 

However, for those who did survive that first hour and continued, they would gradually begin to see a different side of the master. Wong was strict, but only because he saw potential. He had high expectations, but only because he believed that they could be met, perhaps, even exceeded. If the students were willing to do the work and took it seriously, they would have found few teachers more willing to instruct or to offer support, than Wong. 

In the weeks that followed the defeat of the Zealot Kaecilius, many of the students and,even some of the masters, had seen Wong do more than his part to rebuild the ruined Sanctums of both New York and London. It sometimes seemed as though he were traversing the globe between the Sanctums two or three times every day, without showing the slightest hint of weariness. 

Truthfully, though, not even Wong was all powerful or strong. Once there was a sense of some order coming out of the chaos, it was observed that the stern master of Kamar-Taj's library quietly vanished for a period of five days, with no one really knowing where he had gone. Master Hamir, and others of the older Kamar-Taj generation who knew Wong better than some of the beginners, assured any of the worried inquiries that Master Wong was in no danger, and would be back in a very short time. 

And sure enough, they were correct. As Wong reappeared in the library of Kamar-Taj one night, seemingly none the worse for wear. However, there had been one sorcerer amongst them who hadn't taken kindly to Wong's absence, and was not afraid to let him know it.

“Where the hell have you been?” Stephen Strange asked, as he appeared through the portal of the New York Sanctum, stalking into the library and scowling at Wong.

Wong (who had been somehow accomplishing the polar opposite tasks of reading a heavy tome written in ancient Russian regarding their arcane practices, while listening to the latest Beyonce album), glanced up, his expression showing no surprise or other reaction to Stephen's sudden entrance. “Thank you for the heartfelt greeting.” He said, with his usual dead-pan, “I wasn't expecting you, of all people, to miss me so much.”

“Don't be ridiculous.” said Stephen, irately. He began moving through the rows of books in the library, resembling a whirlwind of nearly irrepressible energy. “I ran across a spell in the Sanctum's library last week regarding transmutation of objects. The notes I have are incomplete, and I’ve been scouring the volumes here hoping to find some sort of complete copy, but all the novice idiots you left in charge of this place don't seem to have any idea of where you keep things in this library.”

Wong rolled his eyes, as he rose from his seat and went over to help Stephen. As unlikely as it might have seemed from their first meeting, Stephen and Wong had actually developed a routine during the former surgeon's time time at Kamar-Taj, one which had carried over into the new normal following the death of the Ancient One. Stephen would invade the library, pulling seemingly random books from the shelves and devouring them at an alarmingly quick rate. However, he was also there as much to pick Wong's brain about every possible subject he could think of regrading the mystic arts. 

Of course, he also tried to annoy Wong, as he seemed to get a wicked pleasure out of trying to discover what made the normally stoic master tick. As Wong privately admitted to the same goal, he really couldn't complain about it. Besides, he almost always won out over Stephen, so there was that added bonus.

“What sort of transmutation did this spell refer to?” Wong asked. 

Stephen looked over at Wong, his expression, still twinged with annoyance, now carried a slight hint of interest. “What difference does it make? I'm trying to turn one thing into something else?”

“It could make all the difference. Elemental transmutation is a far different ritual than turning a lamp into a table, not to mention the alchemist properties of chemicals and compounds. As far as I know, you haven't even touched on that category of spells yet.”

“Doesn't mean that I can learn them. I thought that was something I was supposed to do as a Master of a Sanctum, push myself to learn everything I could so I could be ready for any threat.”

“Yes, but I'm sure that you didn't start with brain injuries when you became a neurosurgeon. Just be careful that you don't overstep your strengths to soon, or you might end up changing parts of your own body chemistry that you will regret.”

For a brief second, Stephen's eyes flashed with a hint of fear, Wong's rather vague warning no doubt setting his vivid imagination on a course of rather terrible images. “Right, I'll remember that.”

Wong gave him another meaningful look, before he reached out and grabbed a book from the shelf, without hardly even looking at the title. “You're looking for this one, the third section. The fragment spell your referring to should be all right for a beginner in the transmutation practice.”

Stephen appeared to be annoyed that Wong has managed to find out exactly what he was looking for within five minutes when he hadn't been able to locate in five days. Nonetheless, he took the book over to one of the other tables across from Wong, and began to read, while Wong resumed his own chair.

For a good fifteen minutes, the silence in the library was interrupted only by Stephen's muttering of the spell fragments, trying to determine which were in the correct order. Every so often, Wong barked out a correction on Stephen's pronunciation, which earned him more than a few glares from Stephen's part. Of course, Wong was not in the least troubled by this. 

Finally, though, Stephen asked the question which Wong felt the younger sorcerer had been wanting to ask ever since he arrived. “Where exactly have you been during all this time? I couldn't get a straight answer from anyone I asked. The novices didn't have a clue where you were, and all the other masters mentioned something about you taking some 'personal' time.”

“Yes.” Was Wong's short answer. 

Stephen paused for moment, giving Wong a slightly puzzled look. “What does that even mean? Do Sorcerers even need to take personal time?”

“Of course, we do.” said Wong, as though it should have been completely logical. “There are many sorcerers all over the world, Stephen. You know how important the work which we do is, but that doesn't mean that the burden can't be shared. It's hardly fair that everyone be asked to fight every single day of their lives. It's important that we get at least some rest.”

Stephen frowned thoughtfully. “I suppose I never thought of it that way. And what exactly were you doing with your personal time, if you don't mind me asking?”

Wong was about to tell Stephen to mind his own business, but than stopped himself. Why not tell him? Honestly, just seeing his reaction would be worth it. “I was celebrating my anniversary.”

It took a solid ten second for the revelation to sink in. Stephen had been practicing the first steps in summoning the spell, but when he heard Wong's sentence and meaning of said sentence truly dawned on him, his concentration failed him completely. The arcane symbols which had started to shimmer and spark in the air suddenly sputtered and died. Stephen didn't even seem to notice, as he was staring at Wong with could only be described as blank surprise. 

Wong was hard-pressed to maintain his normally gruff exterior. Oh, how he did love seeing Stephen so unable to think of a snappy comeback.

Stephen's brain finally began to reboot, though he still seemed incapable of forming a coherent sentence. “Anniversary? You mean, you’re actually...? Wong, that's not funny.”

“It's not funny. I'm being completely serious.” said Wong, “I was celebrating my wedding anniversary. And it was lovely, thank you for asking.”

“But, you're a sorcerer.” stammered Stephen, “How can you be married?”

Wong shot him a puzzled glance. “And those two things are mutually exclusive?”

Stephen opened his mouth, then closed it again. He sat down, clearly still trying to wrap his mind around the idea of Wong of all people being married. “I just thought... well, that there would be some sort of rule against that.”

“Sorcerers are hardly monks, Stephen.” said Wong, as he came over and sat down opposite Stephen, “There aren't any rules saying we're not allowed to marry.”

Stephen shrugged, still looking at a loss for words. “You do have to admit that the lifestyle of a sorcerer isn't the most conducive for forming a healthy relationship. I mean, one half of the couple is off fighting an inter-dimensional war. Doesn't that tend to create difficulty?”

Wong shrugged. “I don't have a definitive answer to that. Every relationship is different, and it's not always easy. Some don't work out. Some do. And I'm quite glad to say that mine has, going on 35 years.”

Stephen appeared both impressed and mystified. Wong was resisting the urge to laugh. He was well aware of what Stephen thought of him. He probably was trying to understand how anyone would want to marry Wong of all people. He just seemed to be barely restraining himself from saying it.

“35 years? Wow, that's very impressive. I had a hard enough time making my relationships last for 3 weeks, let alone years. Do I want to know what the Ancient One thought of all these relationships?”

“She tended not to interfere in the personal lives of her followers.” There was almost a hint of sadness in Wong's tone of voice as he spoke his next words. “As for herself, she was careful to keep herself from forming a relationship with anyone, whether they were a sorcerer or not.”

There was a pregnant pause between the two of them. The memory of the Ancient One's death was still quite raw and painful for both of them. For Wong, it had not been much of surprise to learn of her connection to the Dark Dimension. He had always suspected that there was some sort of secret to the Ancient One's immortality. The confirmation of such a secret had by no means destroyed his trust or admiration of her. The Ancient One had lived a long time, but she had once been a beginner like every-everyone else. Who was to say that she had not made a mistake which had unleashed unexpected and terrible consequences? She had not been right in her actions, but he also didn't blame her for it. If anything, he pitied her for what she must have endured during all those endless years of her life. 

“When you led such a long life as she did, watching someone you cared for grow older, knowing that you would see them die, while you remained essentially ageless, would be to difficult a sacrifice to make, even for her.” said Stephen. 

Wong could only feel sympathy for Stephen. Stephen had only just begun to plumb the depths of what the Ancient One could have taught him. To have lost her at such a crucial juncture, not only in his training, but also at the moment of saving the world, he sometimes felt that Stephen felt her loss far more acutely than many others even in Kamar-Taj. 

“She never said anything to me or anyone else specifically,” said Wong, after a further moment of silence, “But I sometimes got an idea of how lonely her choices had left her. She never allowed that loneliness to make her bitter. She never stood between sorcerers or their spouses. Some of them, in fact, she actually developed a great deal of affection for.”

Stephen raised an eyebrow at the evident pride in Wong's voice. “I take it your wife was one those that she disproved of your wife?”

“Oh yes, she really like Imei. I like to think that the two of them had a great deal in common.”

Stephen shook his head, and went back to skimming through the pages of the book. “That's almost enough to make me want to meet her.”

Wong shrugged. “I assume you will, Imei has a way of getting what she wants.”

Stephen glanced up at him, a flicker of amusement in his eyes, though any snarky comment he might have made about Wong of all people taking orders from his wife quickly died when he noticed the librarian's stony expression. Clearing his throat awkwardly, he went back to the book. Wong decided to take an unspoken opportunity to ask, “What about you?”

Stephen gave a slight chuckle. “Weren't you listening to me, earlier? Relationships aren't really my strong suit.”

“Really? What about Christine Palmer?”

Stephen looked up, and his expression was more than a little surprised. “What about her? How did you know that the two of us had a relationship?”

“It would have been obvious to anyone who saw you talking together for two seconds.” Wong replied, in his usual dead pan manner. 

A definite blush rose in Stephen's cheeks and he looked away. This hardly surprised Wong, as he had often gotten the feeling that Stephen wasn't the most comfortable when it came to personal revelations.

Wong's brief interaction with Christine in the foyer of the New York Sanctum had made him more than somewhat intrigued. Of course, Christine had seemed completely at a loss for words, and he honestly wasn't sure what had made her more uncomfortable: the clearly extraordinary surroundings or the manner of the people who were in those surroundings. There had been quite a few people in the Sanctum, at work repairing and rebuilding what had been damaged by the attack from Kaecilius' followers. 

Christine had witnessed people welding magic. It had clearly freaked her out, but she hadn't left the Sanctum screaming with terror. If anything, talking with Stephen was more awkward and painful than anything that was surrounding them. They had quickly retreated to a section of the Sanctum that was slightly less crazy. However, Wong had heard enough to know that Christine had more than a few questions. Plus, he had “cult” more than a few times. 

“I haven't seen her since she stopped by the Sanctum a few weeks ago.” said Wong, “I certainly hope that you didn't say anything to offend her.”

“Why do you automatically assume it's my fault?” Stephen asked, with annoyance. However, at Wong's pointed look, he sighed in defeat and said, “Fine, I told her everything that I've been through: going to Kamar-Taj, meeting the Ancient One, training in the mystic arts. I tried to be more specific in my explanations since I wasn't recovering from a wound delivered by a half-psychotic sorcerer. Honestly, she took it a great deal better than I was expecting.”

“Does she still think you're part of a cult?” Wong asked, with the slightest hint of amusement. 

“I honestly don't know.” Stephen replied, “If she does think so, she at least doesn't think it's a bad one. That's a great deal more than I was expecting.”

Wong nodded. “Than why hasn't she been back?” 

Stephen was caught off-guard by the question. “What does that matter to you?”

“I just want to make sure you don't mess up a good thing.”

“Look, I didn't come here to get relationship advice from you, Wong.” said Stephen, who appeared to be getting flustered and annoyed.

“You're the one who admitted you couldn't keep a relationship together properly for any length of time before your accident.” Wong pointed out. 

“Can we just drop it, please?” said Stephen. 

“Fine.” said Wong, who went back to listening to his music and studying his book. 

Silence reigned in the library yet again as Stephen finished gathering up the books he needed. However, it was clear from his body language that that the previous conversation had hit more than a few raw nerves. Finally, he spoke up again, “Look, the thing is, I don't know what to do, about Christine.”

Wong, who had honestly been waiting for Stephen to speak up, took out the ear buds and looked at Stephen quizzically. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I told Christine what happened, but what am I supposed to do now?”

“I don't know, how about trying to call her and talk to her again?” said Wong, “She didn't run away screaming when you were fighting in astral form at the hospital, nor did she say that she never wanted to see you again after you told her the truth. Honestly, if you've gotten this far, that's a rather good beginning. Do you want something more with Christine?”

“Yes. I mean... I believe so. But, what if I make a mistake? How I be certain that this is the best thing for her? For all I know, I'll end up ruining everything, again. I-” He stopped when he noticed that Wong was rubbing his face in what could only be called a gesture of supreme exasperation. “What's the matter?”

“Stephen, you may have come a long way, but you still are quite possibly one of the most selfish people I’ve ever met.”

“Oh, thank you for you encouraging words.” muttered Stephen, “You really are being a big help.”

“Didn't you hear yourself just now? All I heard you talk about was yourself and what the consequences could be for you. Stephen, it's not your choice to make. Don't you think you should let Christine make the decision for herself?”

Stephen blinked in surprise, as though the idea hadn't exactly occurred to him like that before. Wong softened just a little at Stephen's reaction. True, Stephen could be insufferable at times, but he had the best of intentions. However, he was so frightened of failure, it sometimes seemed as though he would rather not try at all, rather than run the risk of finding something good. 

Stephen hesitated briefly, before he admitted, perhaps as much to himself as Wong. “I just... don’t want to hurt her. I made a lot of mistakes when I was with her before. I have to make sure I don't do that again.”

“Hold that uppermost in your mind, and you won't.” said Wong, “You know, there might be hope for you yet.”

Wong had meant it as a compliment, however unsmilingly it might have been given. Stephen seemed unsure how to take it, as praise from Wong was almost as rare as hen's teeth in Kamar-Taj. Wong thought that he might have seen just a little bit more resolve enter Stephen's expression, though, which meant that his words had taken root. 

Of course, as with any advice that Wong gave him on magic, Stephen was also not to eager to give him credit for personal advice, as well. Abruptly, he got to his feet and began to move towards the door of the New York Sanctum. “Well, thanks for the talk. I'll certainly take it all into consideration.”

“Stephen,” Wong called after the sorcerer. “You forgot your books.”

Stephen paused, and looked back, embarrassed that he had been called out on forgetting the very thing which he had come to the library to find. He made a sound of annoyance, before he hurried back, grabbed the stack of books he had gathered and rushed back through the portal.

Wong was once more left alone in the peace of the library. He took a deep breath, more than a little relieved that his weekly therapy session with Stephen Strange was over. He put his ear phones back in, and began listening to Beyonce, and reading ancient Russian. 

However, his peace lasted only a few seconds when his phone beeped. Casting a cursory glance at the message, he immediately knew the name. Well, did you talk to him?

Had he been in the company of anyone else, he would have feigned irritation at the interruption. In this case, he allowed himself a brief hint of a smile. I did.

And?

I think I might have gotten through to him. I really don't know why you were so worried about it. You've never met either of them. 

The reply was almost instantaneous. I just want to make people happy. Isn't that part of what you sorcerers are supposed to do?

Wong's small smile widened slightly when he read that message. Ah, Imei's sunny, optimistic outlook on life; if there was anything he could say the he loved most about her, that would have been one of them. 

You're incredibly odd sometimes, you know that?

That is why you love me.

I love you for a variety of reasons, my dear. I think you already know that.

Had anyone been peering into the library at this exact moment, they might have been surprised to see an unusual softening in the stern, stoic Master. Wong wouldn't have cared if they thought that was odd. Sometimes, leaving others with a few questions was worth it to have a few precious moments that he could call his own.

**Author's Note:**

> So, fun fact: Imei is actually the name of Wong's wife in the comics. I will admit that I haven't read the comics, so I don't really know what exactly her personality is in those, but since Wong is kind of completely different in the film from his comic counterpart, I wanted to try and create my own story. 
> 
> I also kind of like the idea that Wong is sort of taking the place of the Ancient One in Stephen's life. Not that the Ancient One could ever really be entirely replaced, but Stephen is still learning at the end of the movie, both mystically and personally. One of the things which the beginning of the movie seems to emphasize is that though Stephen is at the top of his field, he is very much alone. His time at Kamar-Taj shows him bonding with other people, and I think that's one of the major ways in which he grows. 
> 
> Now that the Ancient One and Mordo are gone, in one form or another, Wong is really the first one who Stephen would turn to for advice, probably about a lot more than just the mystic arts. 
> 
> Anyway, enough of my rambling, please leave a review and tell me what you thought. I have a few more ideas for Doctor Strange stories (a few of them involving my new favorite pairing, Stephen/Christine), so look for those in the future. Thanks for reading.


End file.
